Senna's death left indelible mark

Just as Americans can remember what they were doing when they heard that President Kennedy had been shot, so any Brazilian old enough can recall the moment they found out Ayrton Senna had died.

"I was in Spain, in Valladolid. I had played a game in the morning," says former basketball international Oscar Schmidt.

"It was shocking to see Senna crashing at that speed with that force. I was paralysed.

"The news of his death came later like the news of the death of a very close friend, a relative, it brought an amazing sadness."

Olympic gold medallist Robert Scheidt was windsurfing at Ponta das Canas, three hours from Sao Paulo, when he heard of the racing driver's death at Imola in Italy.

"It was an unforgettable day," said Scheidt.

Footballer Ronaldo, a 17-year-old, was watching the San Marino Grand Prix on television at a team training camp.

Senna's death 10 years ago paralysed Latin America's largest country.

The 34-year-old's body lay in state for 24 hours and up to one million people lined the streets of Sao Paulo to witness the funeral procession.

STATE FUNERAL

Brazilians said the event was matched only by the state funerals for former president Getulio Vargas, who committed suicide while in office in 1954, and Tancredo Neves, who died in 1985 days before he was due to take office as president.

years later, the former world champion is still remembered fondly in his home country. The Ayrton Senna Institute is involved in educational projects around the country and plans to invest $7.3 million this year.

It says that 1.2 million children from 3,375 schools and 463

cities will be directly involved in its activities this year. During the same period about 48,600 teachers will be trained.

His

elder sister Viviane Senna has carried on the social project envisaged by the driver three months before he died.

"I

quickly learned that just one project would not be enough," she said in a recent interview with O Globo.

"Just

as important as providing care is developing a model of social technology that will allow us to care for more and more people."

UNIQUE RESPECT

Senna

is treated with a respect enjoyed by no other Brazilian sporting hero. "Senna was an example in all aspects, on and off the race tracks," said Schmidt.

"He

was an icon for reaching new limits, talent, quality, personality, character. He left emptiness. Senna was a complete idol, a guy that makes all Brazilians very proud."

"Brazilians

have this irreverence towards their idols," said a feature in the news magazine Veja.